The present invention relates to a steering wheel with an airbag apparatus and, in particular, to a steering wheel with an airbag apparatus configured to sound a horn by pressing the airbag apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to a steering wheel with an airbag apparatus in which the airbag apparatus is mounted to the steering wheel via a one-touch mounting mechanism.
A steering wheel with an airbag apparatus in which the airbag apparatus is mounted to the steering wheel with a one-touch mechanism and a horn that sounds by pressing the airbag apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-225665.
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-225665, the airbag apparatus includes a retainer (in the aforementioned patent document, it is referred to as a bag holder) including an airbag, an inflator and a module cover mounted thereon, a fixed contact plate arranged on the back side of the retainer, and a horn switch mechanism which is provided between the fixed contact plate and the retainer. The fixed contact plate is fixed to the steering wheel via the one-touch mounting mechanism formed of a snap-lock mechanism.
The horn switch mechanism is provided with a coil spring that urges the retainer and the fixed contact plate in the direction away from each other, and when the module cover is pressed with a hand, the retainer is retracted integrally with the module cover, whereby the contact point of the horn switch comes into contact to turn the horn switch ON. When the hand is moved apart from the module cover, the module cover and the retainer are moved back (advances) to the original position by a repulsive force of the coil spring.
In the structure disclosed in the Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-225665, the fixed contact plate is integrally formed with the airbag apparatus via the horn switch mechanism, and the fixed contact plate as an excessive member increases the number of components, and hence increases weight and cost.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a steering wheel with an airbag apparatus having a simple structure so that the weight can be reduced in comparison with the device of Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-225665.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention and the associated drawings.